In darkness
by Everest Legionnaire
Summary: When his lover is killed, Glacier blames the civilians who she was trying to protect. Meanwhile, a new freshman class is starting at Beacon, and new adventures are sure to follow, as adventures so often do in an academy such as this one. SYOC closed
1. Chapter 1

A pair of hunters stood on a cliff that overlooked a group of four humans cowering against the attack of four Griffons. The slighter one, a female moved to jump down, but the male stopped her with a simple grab of her wrist. The female, amber eyes blazing, turned to face her partner. "Don't start this again Glacier. They need our help." The light brunette ripped her wrist free of Glacier's hand. "You can help me, but don't try to stop me." Without waiting for Glacier to reply, the female jumped from the cliff edge.

"Tawny!" Glacier shouted, watching the female jump from the ledge. Grumbling angrily to himself, he followed the other into the fray of battle. Pulling his weapon free of his holster, he took aim with the high caliber rifle and fired several shots at first one of the Griffons, then switched to another one when it approached, effectively drawing two of the four away from the cowering humans. _Pathetic._ Honestly, if the citizens were going to live on the outskirts of their cities, then they deserved to die if they didn't know how to defend themselves. He kept switching between the two Griffons to keep them at bay, but when the distance between he and the Grimm grew slim, the white haired male changed tactics. Instead of firing at the closer of the two, Glacier instead switched to the farther one, keeping it away from him while he dealt with its buddy. The Griffon closed in, and Glacier's weapon switched forms, the rifle separating into two separate weapons, two khukuri knives. When the Griffon neared, he stabbed the first one down, hooking into one of its wings. The creature screamed, but didn't land, and even more importantly, didn't crash. Glacier smirked as he used both blades to climb forward off the wing of the creature, to better set his balance. Once he made it onto the back of the creature, the white haired male dug one of the blades into the back of the Grimm, and used the other to shoot at the other Griffon that circled above.

He risked a glance at Tawny, just to make sure the female was doing alright. Tawny hated it when her teammates treated her like something to be protected, but Glacier knew just how capable the young spitfire could be. She may have been the smallest amongst their team, but what she lacked in strength and durability she made up in agility and flexibility. Watching Tawny fight was like watching a dancer perform a dizzying dance full of flips, jumps, and rolling dives. It was a lethal dance, but it was a dance all the same, and no one performed it better than Tawny. Her rapier moved elegantly through the air, each strike of its thin blade accurate.

It was time to end this aerial assault and finish these creatures off where he had more of an advantage. Glacier ripped the khukuri knife free from the Griffon's back, another yell of both anger and pain assaulting his ears from the beast. He aimed both knives at the head that protruded from the back like a gigantic horse, and took aim. The blades of both weapons parted down to the center, the top half sliding up while the bottom slid down. The chamber now free, Glacier held the trigger to the weapons in, and bullet after bullet tore from the automatic pistols into the Griffon's head. It didn't take many for the creature to die, and soon both Grimm and Huntsman were in a downward spiral.

"Hang on!" Tawny pointed two fingers at him, and a white symbol appeared just before his chest, a similar shape appearing on the ground. His speed slowed, the power of Tawny's semblance repelling both he and the two glyphs against each other. When his momentum died, both symbols disappeared, and Glacier's speed started rebuilding, but Tawny had slowed him down enough that when he landed, he landed safely. Once on the ground, Glacier glanced back around. Both of the Griffons Tawny had been fighting lay on the ground, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness.

"Tawny!" His voice was a command, though no other was given. The two of them had been partners long enough to know what the other was planning without needing to say anything. The copper haired female nodded, pointing two fingers at Glacier's weapon, which had by now transformed into its third form, a double bladed partisan. The same white symbol that appeared on Glacier earlier was now on the partisan, and the female pointed her two fingers at the Griffon, which was starting to descend on them by now. A replica of the very same symbol appeared on the Grimm's chest, only instead of being white, this one was black. Glacier's weapon sped towards the Griffon, piercing directly into its chest. The symbol on the Griffon's chest flipped over, changing from black to white, and the weapon tore through the back of the creature's neck, repelled by the symbol. It flipped from white to black again, and the partisan changed direction once more, this time sliding through the back of the neck and emerging through the Griffon's chest when the symbol was flipped once more.

The Griffon's piercing scream was cut off abruptly as it died, falling from the sky while its body disintegrated. Glacier smiled. He'd always found Tawny's semblance useful, especially as her control over it grew. When his partisan was returned back to the ground, he picked the weapon up and it separated back into its original khukuri knives, which he sheathed against each of his hips.

Tawny offered him a kind smile, her eyes shining in gratitude. Though her earlier words had been unkind, Glacier knew she did not mean a single one of them. Tawny preferred to have him fighting by her side, the two of them were so flawless when they fought beside one another. Glacier made up for her shortcomings, and she always had his back, tempering his recklessness with a cautious use of her own abilities to make sure he avoided whatever trouble Glacier found himself in that time.

"Thank you Glace."

"Anytime, doe." She rolled her eyes at his pet name, but laughed all the same at the words of endearment. Tawny turned back to the scared humans, who were staring up at the hunters in awe. The youngest of the group, no older than twelve, had eyes blown wide. "Wait a second, I know you two! You're from team Granite!" But he seemed to only now missing the two members of their team, and looked around. "Where's Roan and Neel? I thought they were part of the team too." Glacier scoffed and turned away.

"Not here."

Tawny glared at him, then turned back to the child. "Why don't we walk you home? I'm sure we can handle any monster that comes out of the woods tonight." The blonde child smiled, and grabbed Tawny's arm, leading her back towards his village. Glacier followed at a slower pace, really not in the mood to deal with the child's insistent questions that Tawny seemed all too willing to answer.

Neither hunter heard the cry of the Nevermore until it was too late.

* * *

Roan started when he heard the door kicked open. The male jumped from his bed, grabbing Jaded Pyre from his dresser as he carefully stalked through the shadows of his home, eyes searching for the intruder, weapon held at the ready to defend he and his two children, should the situation call for it. Roan did not know who thought it was a good idea to stalk into his house during the middle of the night, but it would definitely be the last time tonight. He may not be actively taking missions, but that did not mean that Roan still did not know how to fight. And he would prove that to whoever thought to thieve from him.

First he peered into his daughter Crystal's room to make sure the younger girl was alright, but nothing stirred within, not even her. But then again, Crystal was notorious for her heavy sleeping. She'd be able to sleep though a Goliath smashing down the house, he was sure. Cole was different. His son was a light sleeper, and the moment he closed Crystal's door, the boy was beside him, staring up at the male anxiously. Roan smiled down at the young child, holding a hand up to his lips to command silence, which Cole obeyed. "Go and stay with your sister. Make sure she's safe. No matter what you hear Cole, you do not come out unless I tell you to. Go." Cole slipped into his sister's room, and Roan continued his search.

It was the spare bedroom he found the intruder in. Roan stiffened when he noticed who stood there, but forced himself to relax when Glacier turned to face him. "What happened?" Because he knew something had to. Glacier never came here, and the fact he was now, well, it definitely wasn't good news he brought. "Where's Tawny?"

"Dead."

His voice was so detached, so emotionless when he spoke, and Roan was utterly still for a few seconds as the words wrapped themselves around his brain, but his brain didn't seem to want to accept the words as reality. "How?" The word was breathless, and Glacier was silent for a long time that he didn't think the white haired male had heard him. He opened his mouth to repeat, but closed it when Glacier started his explanation.

"A Nevermore. She insisted on helping some humans who were under attack by Griffons. We killed them, and she was too distracted by a boy that she missed the Nevermore until it was too late." Glacier's voice took on the quality of his namesake, and it sent chills running through Roan's body. At Beacon, Glacier had been a capable leader, cold and detached, but efficient. Glacier had changed after school, and it tore their team apart. Eventually, they went their separate ways, but Tawny wanted to stay with Glacier. Roan had been upset, but she was convinced she could fix him, like he was some broken being that she could meticulously piece back together. Glacier pulled something from the inside pocket of his jacket, something Roan recognized instantly. It was Femme Fatale. It was Tawny's sword.

Roan collapsed into an armchair, his hands covering his face. What Glacier said was true: Tawny was truly gone. Her smiling face was etched just behind his eyes, taunting him. He could picture everything about her in that moment: her long copper hair, her light green eyes, her sweet smile.

"It was the humans' fault. She died protecting them because they can't protect themselves." Roan's head shot up at that. Glacier had been saying the same words for years, and he'd been trying to get the Council to pass mandatory classes to train hunters, if only to protect their villages. Each time, he'd been denied.

"She was a huntress, Glacier. You know how much that meant to her."

Glacier's eyes turned sharply to him, blazing angrily. "She wouldn't have died tonight if those humans hadn't been so defenseless!" The male was seething. "We train to fight Grimm, too many of us die because everyone else is too scared or too lazy to pick up a damned sword and defend themselves! Why do we have to fight and die in their places!?"

"Because that's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do, Glacier. That is what we signed up for, and we knew what we were signing up for."

"I'm going to put a stop to it. That's the very least I can do for her."

"You know that is not what she would have wanted, Glacier."

"How could you know what she wanted! You left six years ago. You were her brother, but I was the one who always did your job. You're a coward Roan, a bloody coward. I will put a stop to this. And if you get in my way Roan, I swear I will cut you down." Roan didn't have a chance to reply, Glacier had already turned and was striding from the room.

* * *

I am not happy with the confrontation between Glacier and Roan, but it's almost 3 AM and I wanted to get this up tonight. So here's how this SYOC will work: I'm looking for seven characters to complete two teams. The deadline to turn in applications is August 31st. Applications will be by PM only, that way I can get in touch with you if I have questions for you. A blank form of the following application is found on my profile.

Oh, and if anyone's interested, here are the name meanings between the characters mentioned in this chapter:

Glacier: A large landmass of ice. Ice is white, therefore, the name makes you think of the color white.

Tawny: An orange-brown or yellow-brown color.

Roan: A type of color that's mixed with other colors, usually chestnut, black, or bay mixed with white.

Neel: An Indian name meaning sky blue

Granite: A light colored igneous rock

Cole: Middle English meaning swarthy, coal-black, and charcoal

Crystal: A solid material that forms a crystal lattice. Usually light in color, it brings the color white to mind.

* * *

Name: Include full name and any nicknames they may have/other people have given them

Reasoning: All names must be a color, relate to a color, or make you think of a color. If you're having difficulty, I wouldn't mind receiving PMs and I'll do my best to help.

Age: Age 17 is preferred. The main teams will be in their first year.

Gender: Male or female. If they identify as a different gender than what they were 'born as' state that as well.

Species: Human or faunus.

Sexuality: Hetero, homo, demi, pan, asexual, etc.

Region: The region they were originally born in. The story will take place at Beacon Academy in Vale

Physical appearance: Include general height, weight, skin tone, hair appearance and color, eye color, any scars/tattoos/birthmarks, and anything else that pertains to your character. I want to visualize what they look like in my head. If your character is a faunus, include that here as well.

Look alike: Alternatively, if you know a character that you want them to look like, you can list it here instead. They can be either a celebrity or an anime character, since RWBY itself is animated.

Battle gear: What they wear into battle. This does not have to be armor (most characters actually don't wear it in the series).

Normal wear: If it's different than their battle gear, describe it here.

Sleep wear: What they wear to bed.

Swim wear: What they wear swimming.

Formal wear: What they would wear to a formal event, like a dance.

Likes: At least 5.

Dislikes: At least 5.

Strengths: Personality strengths, not fighting strengths. Minimum of 4, keep it balanced with weaknesses.

Weaknesses: Personality flaws, not fighting flaws. Minimum of 4, keep it balanced with strengths.

Overall personality: An in-depth look at your character. Detail is key here. At minimum, it has to be a paragraph with five complete, detailed sentences. I want to portray your characters accurately and I can't do that without details.

Family: List their names, occupations, and a brief view on their relationship here.

History: Tell me about your character's past.

Weapon: Name, transformation, and general description of its various forms, and the limitations of each (ammo count, dust containers, etc.) Most weapons have both a melee and a ranged form.

Semblance: Name and description of your character's semblance, should they have one. If they do have one, describe it in detail, give examples of uses, weaknesses it has, etc. If you're stuck on ideas, do some research. Look up different powers various characters have in different things (anime, movies, tv, etc.). Another good source would be to google "list of superpowers" and click the first wiki page.

Fighting style: Your character's fighting style. This must make sense with both the semblance and the weapon. For instance, Yang is a brawler, and her weapon is gauntlets and shotguns, both are meant for shorter range and heavy hitting, while her semblance makes her stronger with every hit she takes.

Strengths: Fighting strengths. At least 4.

Weaknesses: Fighting weaknesses. At least 4.

Quotes: At least five good examples of dialogue for your character. How they interact with friends, something they'd say in a fight, what they'd say to someone they didn't like, etc.

Theme song: Optional. If there's a song that seems to fit your character, please list it here. Sometimes songs help give insight into your character.

Plot ideas: They don't have to be anything major, I'd just like a few ideas of what you would like to see done with your character. Please keep in mind this is no guarantee it will happen, these are merely just suggestions.

Other: Any additional information you wish to tell me can be posted here.

* * *

And that's that! It's long I know, but I want detail about these characters. I look forward to seeing some amazing characters submitted!


	2. Chapter 2

Cole turned once more to look behind him as Crystal called out to him. Offering his kid sister a smile, the male bent down to allow the white haired girl to throw her arms around his neck in a crushing hug. Well, as crushing a hug as a girl of nine was able to give. Still, Cole bent his head to envelop the young girl in his own crushing hug, smirking when she left out an indignant gasp. The raven haired male loosened his grip, pulling back to grip her shoulders as he stared into her pale green eyes. "You will keep Mom safe from the big bad Grimm while dad and I are away, won't you Crystal?"

The girl's face lit up considerably, and her mint green eyes flared in fierce defiance. "Of course!" Crystal's voice was pitched high, excited. "Nothing with harm her while I'm here!"

Cole laughed, mussing up the silvery white hair atop Crystal's hair, causing her to squeak indignantly and bat his hands away; Cole chuckled harder. "That's my girl." He placed a quick, chaste kiss to the girl's forehead. "I'll miss you, little sister. Be good for mom, and eat your vegetables."

Cole pulled back and smiled, shaking his head as Crystal glared at him. He stood up, and finally turned to face his mom. Ariana had been standing silently off to the side while her two children said their goodbyes to each other, but stepped forward when Cole stood. "I'm so proud of you Cole, good luck, and behave." She pulled back as she spoke, staring sternly into her son's turquoise eyes. Cole, humbled, nodded his head. Ariana was a kind and caring woman, but she could be stern when it got her the results she wanted.

"Good," she stated proudly, patting the male's cheek twice, "Now go board the airship, it'll be taking off shortly."

* * *

A holographic projection of a blonde haired woman appeared before him, forcing Cole to stop. "All personal belongings, including weapons, are to be left here with the school personnel, who will place them in the airship's luggage section for the duration of the transport." The woman flickered out of view after the message was delivered. The male dropped his three duffel bags onto the ground beside him, glancing around for one of the mentioned personnel, unwilling to leave his possessions unguarded. It wasn't that his belongings had much monetary value, but its sentimental attachment was not something Cole was willing to replace. Especially his weapon, Glíwere.

The weapon had been Cole's father's idea, who had also helped him craft it. With Cole's larger height, Roan thought it would be a good idea for him to make use of a polearm. Cole was ambidextrous, so Roan had thought it would be best to teach Cole to make the most of that. At first, they had tried to dual wield two swords, but instead of using weapons separately yet simultaneously, the male would use both swords as if they were connected to one another by an invisible string. So Roan helped Cole transform the weapons from two separate swords into a single polearm. And as it turned out, Cole's efficiency with the polearm was far superior to that of him using twin swords. Cole's performance with Glíwere was uncanny, and Road always said that there was only one other he'd ever witnessed utilize such a weapon as effectively as Cole had. Though he was unwilling to reveal a name; Cole had pried, but Roan was always quick to push the subject away.

"I'll be taking your belongings, Sir. Please relinquish any weapons on your person and board the airship, it will be taking off momentarily."

Lost in thought, Cole nodded offhandedly, grabbing the weapon draped diagonally across his back and held it in his head. The long weapon shrank, its bladed edges disappearing into the handle on either side as the weapon collapsed to make it easier to carry. When complete, the weapon, now resembling a simple staff, reached just below Cole's hip, if it was placed level with the ground.

Cole handed the weapon over to the elder male, and turned to board the airship.

* * *

This year was going to be different, Cole was certain of that. Most hunters who came to the school had at least one other friend they could talk with, but Cole was not so lucky. Not many of his friends wanted to enroll into the Academy, and those who did and had, they each had been denied. There were many a rumor that Beacon was getting a lot more picky with their selection process, often credited to the recent influx of Grimm attacks. Being a hunter or huntress never did have a low fatality rate, but these recent past few years, there had been a rise in Grimm related attacks, both for hunters and the citizens they vowed to protect. The cause of the influx was still unknown, despite the abundant amount of hunters and huntresses who sought the answer out.

Even his father seemed concerned, and his father hadn't actively been hunting Grimm for many years now, not since Crystal was born. Roan was by no means retired, but he did not travel anymore, and any job he undertook was strictly local. When he found out Cole wanted to become a hunter, and when Cole's skill improved enough that Roan did not feel guilty about taking his son out, the two of them would traverse the local wilderness together, killing any and all Grimm they came across. There were other hunters that lived in the village, but those who did live there either were currently attending Beacon, or they were taking on other missions. He was worried about leaving Glade unprotected, but Roan had reassured his son that he wasn't leaving their village unprotected.

Turquoise eyes glanced around the airship, the male seeking someone out to talk with. He figured now would be as good a time as any to get to know some of his fellow classmates. It'd also be a good idea to start looking for a partner for the next four years. Since none of his friends were able to attend, his original plan of partnering up with one of them had fallen through, leaving the male at a bit of a lost. Cole looked around, wondering if there was a lady standing all by her lonesome that he could talk to. He was a gentleman, but that didn't mean Cole couldn't partake in a bit of harmless flirting with some of the more aesthetically alluring women who were also strong enough to be traversing the path to becoming a huntress.

He spotted a girl standing alone, short hair adorning her head, cherry in color. Cole started approaching her.

"I'm so excited, Butterfly friend! I'm going to the academy where Mommy and Daddy first met!"

Hm, maybe she wasn't the best person to speak with after all.

He turned around instead, searching out someone else. Someone a little more, mature, hopefully. Almost instantly, his eyes were drawn to a woman dressed flamboyantly. The female was making her way over, and and Cole couldn't help but notice how her long sleeved top, a glimmering silver in color, seemed to shine brightly as she passed a group of darkly dressed hunters, making her stand out. Somehow, Cole had a feeling the girl's path was chosen for that exact reason; her outfit just screamed 'notice me' and from the corner of his eye, he could tell he wasn't the only one to take notice of her.

Cole offered the woman a smile as the other came to a stop beside him. "Hey, I'm Cole, Cole Filak. What's your name?"

As Cole turned his head to gaze at her, he took notice how an easy smile crossed her face. "Argent Ciel." Her gaze was relaxed as she stared back at Cole, confident and sure. "Are the Grimm attacks as deadly as the news lets on?"

Cole gave her a puzzled look, surprised she didn't know. "Of course, they've increased steadily over the past five years, though no one knows why. The villages that lie on the edges of the kingdom are the most threatened." Every huntsman or huntress knew about the increased attacks. "Are you from one of the inner cities?" Were they blocking the news so the innermost cities wouldn't panic?

Argent shook her head. "No, I'm from Mistral originally."

"Mistral?" He asked, eyebrows raising, "Why are you on this airship instead of one headed to Haven?"

Argent gave Cole an affronted look. "Have you seen their outfits?" Cole's face must have given away his confusion because Argent chuckled softly and elaborated. "They're drab, dull, colorless. Black, white, and gray." The female motioned down to her own outfit, a silver long sleeve shirt with a dark azure undershirt beneath it. Dark black-green pants hugged her legs, white boots over top of them, lined with golden trim. "Black is such a dull color."

Cole glanced down at his own outfit, a predominately jet black coat, only marred by the lighter gray accents that outlined the straps used to hold Glíwere in place alongside his back, and the waist straps that closed the coat shut in colder weather. There was no color on neither his pants nor his boots, nothing to create some sort of contrast among the pitch black color.

"Like I said, dull." At the girl's teasing voice, Cole lifted his attention back to her, fighting his smile.

"Dull huh?" Cole questioned lightly. "Alright then, you're the fashionista. What color would you suggest?" His hands were on his hips, feigning offense.

"White."

The male gawked, stunned by the answer, an eyebrow arching at the woman. "White, really?" Again, his turquoise gaze traveled back down to his outfit, trying to picture it as white instead of black. And Cole struggled to keep from laughing at the image his mind conjured for him.

The blonde was silent for a while, green eyes staring at his outfit, seeming to deliberate over her initial response. "No," she finally stated, shaking her head as her gaze lifted. "White is definitely not your color." Cole laughed at her reply, and Argent was quick to follow suit. "You should just stick to black."

"I thought you said black's a drab color."

"Oh it is," She replied simply, "But it's the only color you can pull off."

The male wasn't sure whether to feel offended or laugh at her response, but the smile she offered him had him deciding on the latter. "I think I may like you."

"I try."

After a brief pause where the two of them just stood there, lost in their own heads, Argent took a step forward, standing in front of him and holding out her hand to him, palm up. "Here, give me your belts."

"Why?"

"I'm going to help you out. Fashionista, remember? Don't worry, I'll return them tomorrow, brand new." Her hand didn't waver, and Cole, albeit hesitantly, took both his weapon's belt, and his waist belt off, and handed them over. She took them, clasped his waist belt shut, and slung both over her shoulder.

The two of them continued chatting among themselves for the remainder of the ride, quietly getting to know one another more. Cole found out that despite her dislike of Mistral's outfits, the real reason she enrolled into Beacon was because of the increase in Grimm attacks, only (reportedly unfounded) rumors in Mistral, and she wanted to help fix it. Her father supported her journey to become a huntress, however her mother was against it, believing monster hunting was not a proper job for a lady.

But it wasn't her history that intrigued Cole the most, it was her weapon. She explained that it only had one form, and a rather inconspicuous one at that: a harp. Argent explained how it was one of the hardest weapons to control because of its dust properties, which converted the dust into various forms of attack, depending on the tune she played. If not performed meticulously, the weapon could cause extreme harm to the receiver. Cole told her his was a double bladed polearm, and while it was difficult to use, it wasn't quite as lethal as hers was. He mentioned how he had been reluctant to part with his own weapon, and Argent had laughed. She'd nearly gotten into a fight with the staff when they tried to confiscate it from her before she boarded the airship, and how they had won their debate.

Cole felt safer knowing she hadn't been able to bring it into the main hangar.

* * *

Ariana: Welsh name meaning silver.

Argent: Old French word for silver, derived from the Latin word _argentum_ , meaning white money, or silver.

* * *

I would like to apologize how long it took me to get this chapter out, I roleplay, and something went down on one of my sites that just sucked all muse out of me for a while, and I was in a bit of a writing funk and everything I wrote was complete garbage. Things have settled now though, and I have a bit of a better plot in mind for this story, so hopefully it will be better than it was originally!

* * *

The accepted characters are as follows, in no particular order:

Cole Filak (Everest Legionaire) (Shin, Amnesia - though with jet black hair, turquoise eyes, and teal tips instead of red)

Argent Ciel (Deadly Animals Are Cute) (Andreja Pejic) - It should be noted this is actually a male, however he looks and dresses like a female. So when in his point of view, he will be referred to with male pronouns, when in another's, it will be what gender they think he is

Sakura Aka (0B13) (Fuuka Yamagishi, Persona 3 - though with a cherry color scheme instead of teal)

Yami Hikari (Magick From Your Heart) (Wild spiky black hair, blonde streak in bangs, violet eyes that fade to blue near the rim)

Hazel Sherwood (Inkly) (Halle Berry - shoulder blade length, worn mostly in bun, dark, stormy blue eyes)

Jackson "Robin" Sherwood (HiroshitheHawk) (Ryuu Tsuji, Special A)

Aila Izayoi (Lagstabbing Devil) (Esdeath, Akame ga Kill)

Nickol Melanzane (FireDusk) (Black ringed white hair, windblown style and indigo eyes, white tail with black tip - leopard faunus)


	3. Chapter 3

I'm extremely sorry with how long this took me to do! This chapter wasn't as easy for me to write as the first two, and I feel like I did not do the two characters justice. If at any point in the story you feel like I'm portraying your character wrong, or have some pointers for me to get them accurately, please please please PM me and let me know!

The reason this took me so long to write is because everything just happened all at once. I got a retail job during the Holiday season (which is the busiest season) so that took up a lot of my time, and when that finally settled down, we ended up moving, and the new house has a lot of work that needs done to it.

Anywho, enough with my rambling, onto the story!

* * *

"Robin Sherwood?"

Robin, who had been watching the other hunters and huntresses ahead of him as they made their way towards the towering walls of Beacon Academy, turned at the sound of his name. One of the various staff attendants was swinging his head around on a pivot, searching out someone who would answer the name he kept continuing to shout aloud in an ever increasing pitch of tone. "Over here!" The dark haired male raised his hand as he shouted out his reply, simultaneously getting the attendant's attention, and ushering him over. The attendant, hearing a reply, turned in the direction of the male when he heard the response. With the ease of someone who made his living blending into and passing through crowds, the male slithered easily through the throng of students, easily dodging around the flowing mass of bodies making their way towards the beckoning walls of the Academy. As the attendant drew closer to Robin, the male in question focused his attention instead onto the duffel bag the male held, its color a lighter shade of green than the segmented staff of emerald green that rested precariously along the lines of the closed zipper. Robin grabbed the proffered duffel bag by its black straps and nodded a thank to the male who had delivered his belongings; the attendant however, was gone as quickly as he had shown up, melting back into the crowd, presumably off to retrieve and return the other students' belongings to their rightful owners.

Robin definitely did not resent the man his job.

Swinging the green duffel bag over his right shoulder, the male skillfully grabbed the segmented staff weapon from its resting place upon the duffel bag and slid it into the small sheath he carried for it on his person. The students, now Robin's classmates, flocked hurriedly past him as they made their way towards the beckoning Academy doors, thrown wide open in welcome for its newcomers. Robin stood there mesmerized, watching the students pass like he was in some sort of trance. It was strange how they all just blended together the farther away they got. Their individual, unique appearances, regardless of height, hair color, skin color, or even clothing just blurred and merged with the other individual shapes and figures that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with each other, blurring and merging with one another until each individual character was lost in a sea of faceless faces, like a large mosaic painting. Robin knew that as soon as he started walking to join the throng, the next person to stand in his position would think the exact same thing about him.

It was a strangely humbling thought to have.

A sigh escaped past the male's lips as he brushed a few dark green strands of stray hair from dangling before his eyes. It was strange, being here. Before his mentor had taken him under his metaphorical wing, Robin had been content with just living on the streets and stealing what he needed to in order to survive. But now, that life seemed to be an entire lifetime ago; in some ways, it had been. Now, home was when he was surrounded by the sounds of birdsong and the various other forms of fauna that called the woods of Remnant its home. Familiarity was found in the sun's rays, their embracing touch only broken by the towering visage of aged and old trees, their canopy of leaves both protection and isolation. Companionship was found in the form of his guardian Hawke, who had been the only constant in his life for the past several years. How far he'd come, since the demise of his parents; to think that one day, he would be standing on the steps leading to the famed Beacon Academy, where he would finally be able to make something out of the life he had left. Now, he could spend his days doing the very same his favorite hero, Robin of the Woods, had done by helping people. Only it wouldn't be money he would be stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. It was life he would be stealing from the Grimm and giving it to people.

"You know standing there ogling will not make the Academy miraculously grow legs and start walking away."

Robin startled, swinging his body behind him to quickly stare at the girl who had spoken. "Sorry," he replied somewhat sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand, the other drifting away from the weapon he had started reaching towards to out of instinct. "I'm Robin." Offering the girl a slight smile, the male held his hand outstretched to the blue haired female, who took it after a moment's hesitation.

"Aila."

"Nice to meet you Aila."

"Likewise," the female spoke briskly, pulling her hand away from Robin's handshake. "Now can we please get a move on? You're still blocking the exit." The woman, Aila, motioned with her hand behind her, and Robin noticed the growing crowd of students who stood behind her waiting to be able to proceed on their journey to their new life, all of whom were in various states of annoyance. Aila, despite the harsh words ushered, seemed to be one of the calmer amongst the crowd. Robin rubbed the back of his neck again sheepishly, offering and apologetic smile to the growing group behind him.

"Sorry."

* * *

Not happy with this chapter at all, and I am extremely sorry to Hiroshithehawk and Lagstabbing Devil especially for how bad this turned out. This chapter just did not want to write, and I actually wrote a few different scenarios with this, but this was the best I could get it to come out.

As always, please leave a review, or send me a PM with suggestions. I know everyone says this, but it really does help inspire us to keep writing these stories knowing there's actually people out there reading them.


	4. Chapter 4

"You all have traveled here today in search of knowledge; to hone your selected craft and acquire the skills you currently lack. And when you have finished, you all plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of Remnant and its inhabitants. But I look out amongst you, and all I see is naivety. The majority of you view the life of a hunter through a child's eye. Make no mistake, the life of a hunter is a dangerous one. There is no glory, there is no fame and honor. A hunter's life is full of death and agony, pain and blood. A hunter must be ready to lay down his life for his country, to face down the Grimm, no matter how hopeless his odds of success are. Threats are rising, and the Grimm are becoming more brazen and aggressive. You must all look inside yourselves and ask yourself this: am I ready to die? If the answer is no, then it is time to reconsider your chosen path of career."

"Wow," A redheaded female stated, nervously toying with the braid of cherry colored hair that rested over her right shoulder. "That was... depressing."

"No, that was honest." Sakura glanced beside her at the faunus who spoke. "The world is a cruel place, and if a hunter isn't willing to die to protect it, then he doesn't deserve the title of hunter."

The archer just stared at the faunus for several long seconds. When she first spotted the male, the female had chosen to stand beside him (despite initially mistaking his feminine appearance as exactly that: a woman), she noticed the furred black and white ears, along with his unusual white hair, marked with rings of black throughout its length. The tail that curved behind him was also hard to miss.

Sakura had always found it easier to get along with animals rather than people; animals were easier to understand. They were incapable of the complex range of emotions people were capable of. And they certainly didn't make fun of Sakura because of her strange, reserved ways.

She remembered the raven haired male on the ship. She remembered how he had started approaching her, only to turn away when she started talking with her friend.

Animals were just easier to understand.

"But does he have to be so honest about it? I mean we're just kids!"

The male faunus turned his attention to the female, his indigo shaded eyes piercing her with an intense gaze. Sakura shifted uneasily at the stare.

"Best to separate the wheat from the chaff early." Sakura didn't answer, and the male started walking away, likely tired of the conversation.

Sakura stared after his retreating figure. She didn't even get his name.

* * *

The crimson colored bedroll was spread out in a corner of the large ballroom, and the female glanced around the area. She was nervous, and already, she was missing her parents. They had told her it would be difficult, but Sakura had been too naive to realize just how difficult this was going to be. When it came to combat, the female excelled at it. But everyone here likely did, they only left the best into Beacon.

It was the friend department that left her unsure of herself. Sakura had been home schooled, and her parents, both hunters who had graduated from Beacon, had taught her everything she knew. When she turned seventeen, the two of them had recommended her personally to Beacon, and Sakura had been ecstatic when she received word she had been accepted.

Now though, well, now she wasn't quite so sure.

The female didn't even have her butterfly companion with her anymore. When she left the airship, one of the crew members told her she had to release it, and they wouldn't be fooled by a trick, so Sakura was forced to do so. Without a companion, the female felt lonely, and there was no one here who seemed nice enough for her to befriend.

"You should change."

The voice surprised her, but she realized it was the faunus from earlier, now sitting beside her. His tail was curled around himself, its end flicking gently beside Sakura's hand.

"Right!" She squealed, realizing most of the others had already changed as she glanced around the room. Grabbing her backpack, she rushed to the woman's bathroom to do just that.

When she entered the bathroom, Sakura took a few breaths, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Despite her thoughts only a few moments before, the female smiled. "Maybe he would make a good partner!" The male was, after all, still the only person she knew. Or, rather, recognized. "Think I should get his name though," She mused silently to herself.

Turning away from the mirror, she rooted around in her backpack, searching for her pajamas. She pulled out a peach colored top and set it on the counter before slipping out of the ankle length red dress she currently wore. After her top was on, Sakura realized this was not good. She hadn't considered there would be boys she'd be sleeping around! It wasn't right for her to be dressed only in a top and a pair of underwear! Slightly more desperate this time, the female was back to rooting through her bag, frantically searching for something a little more modest to wear. Her desperation was growing when she reached the bottom of the pack, but instantly, the rubber band around her waist started releasing when her hands clutched onto a pair of white shorts.

"Thanks Mommy." Sakura knew her mother had to have been the one to pack it; she specifically remembered debating about bringing the shorts, but ultimately decided against it. Her mother had to have packed it when Sakura was doing something else.

After putting the clothing on, she went back to her bedroll and saw that the faunus boy was still there. The brown leather jacket was still atop an indigo covered shirt, black jeans, black boots, and white gauntlets. The male still even had the chains around his waist. The only thing that was different was the white fanny pack sitting beside him, though still within reach, along with two Dao swords.

She remembered one of the staff handing her a piece of paper with her weapon locker's combination on it. Shizzen Shotto was currently resting safely inside.

He was still in the clothes he had worn during Ozpin's speech. "Aren't you going to change?"

"No."

"You sleep in that? Is that even comfortable?"

"Yes, I sleep in this. And comfort doesn't matter when you can be attacked anytime."

At that, the redhead glanced around the large ballroom and its gathered first years, looking for the phantom threats this male seemed to believe existed. "Are, are you afraid something's gonna attack Beacon?" Surely no one would be that stupid right? Not with all the hunters and huntresses there.

But the male just shrugged. "It's possible."

"Oh." She replied, not really knowing what else to say to that. But then Sakura started to wonder. What had this male been through to think that danger could be at Beacon? Did he even believe there was any threat, or was he just being strange? Sakura didn't have much time to ponder the thoughts before the male spoke again.

"Get some sleep. Initiation starts tomorrow."

She would only realize hours later she still hadn't gotten the male's name.

* * *

 **Wow that muse struck me suddenly. I just started watched RWBY again from the beginning, and I guess the first few episodes are excellent for muse building, and listening to the soundtracks while writing this. Hope you guys found this chapter slightly better than the last ones, and please point out any mistakes I may have made. I do read all reviews (they both inspire and critique me) and I take everything into consideration. Like breaking up paragraphs a bit more and describing looks and clothing.**


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